Cry Uncle ! Mystery Cache

To find this cache you will need to solve puzzles, get wet, climb a tree ( there's an alternative to this step for those who truly need it ), work on your fishing skills, walk a night cache and more.

I will not be offering clues until there has been a FTF . After that I will only give clues if the email includes the answer to the question in The Scene.

Most of the containers are small. Please bring a pen.

Most of this cache was hidden during winter / early spring. I was unsure what foliage would be here in spring/summer. There's poison ivy in some spots and a minor bushwhack to the final.

I have three requests:
#1 Trade fair.
#2 The night portion should be done at night.
#3 Please rehide everything properly.

Special thanks to:
- Dosido for helping me create this monster onion. I think we'll drive a few cachers nuts with this one. ; )
- Go$ers for donating supplies, checking out my hide ideas, beta testing, and helping to eliminate most of the red herrings. First To Find is wide open. ;-)
- Evil Twin for helping make and hide the containers. You're a great pal. ; )

On to the cache!

I was recently having lunch with an old friend who works for the local pd. Some of the stories he had to tell were fascinating. One has not been able to leave my mind. It's a cold case that happened four years ago in my home town. The victim was heir to a small fortune - though her body was never recovered. Their prime suspect was a brilliant man, tantalizing the police with puzzles left in strange locations, that offered clues in the girl's disappearance. Unfortunately, before the girl was found, the case went cold when he committed suicide. My friend spoke with the girls family not long ago and all they want is to bring her body home.

I enjoy a good mystery and geocachers are some of the most clever people I know. I'm bringing this case to you in hopes that we can offer this family some peace. I stopped by the police station and got some more information about the case. I recreated each scene as best I could to help us solve this mystery.

The story and suspects letters are in black.

What I learned from the police and my own thoughts are in blue.

Special rules to be followed and instructions are in red.

THE BEGINNING

The victim was a white female in her early thirties. She came from a family with wealth. She was a responsible person volunteering weekly at a local home and taking classes at the state college. Even though she kept a regular routine , she always made time for friends and family. She was well liked and her absence did not go unnoticed.

The suspect was a white male, late forties. He was very intelligent - a mathematician who had developed an encryption algorithm for computers. He made lots of money from it and spent his life as an introvert. Most of his neighbors had never seen him outside before *that* day. Few even knew his name.

Part of Michelle's daily routine was to park her car and take a forty minute jog around her favorite loop. The neighbors had become familiar with " her smiling face" as "she always waved as she jogged by". They couldn't believe that anyone would want to harm " such a nice girl". Maybe that's part of why the argument was hard to forget.

A few days before Michelle's disappearance some of the neighbors were alerted by the sounds of screams. Michelle was standing outside the suspects fence. He was on the inside of the fence and holding her arm. The conversation between the two was very heated. As one of the neighbors began to approach, the suspect released his grip on her arm and walked in the house. Michelle got herself together, thanked the man and continued her jog.

Three days later when Michelle did not show up for economics class her professor wondered where she was. The nursing home where she helped out surely missed her. When Michelle did not arrive home for supper that evening her mother instinctively knew something wasn't right. After calling all the places she thought Michelle might be she got in her car and went searching. She found Michelle's car abandoned in the spot where she usually began her morning run.

That night pictures of Michelle and her car were all over the news. The police station received multiple calls from neighbors about the argument between the victim and suspect a few days earlier. However, it wasn't until the next morning that the police were sent to speak with the suspect.

When the police knocked on the suspects door he did not answer. As they walked around his home they reported seeing a curtain move. Because they didn't have a search warrant they were forced to leave.

A few hours later the first of three letters arrived at the news station.

LETTER ONE

The police figured out the clues in no time. It was hidden at a large farm in a town neighboring his. It was obvious that A Puzzling Event had happened there.

When the police arrived at the meadow it was almost sundown. There were some red spots in the grass that were later determined to be paint. Nearby was a well with a small shack around it. One of the officers shined his flashlight down the well and saw a container hanging from a stick. He fastened a hook to a piece of rope and pulled the container up. Inside the container was a puzzle and a notebook. On the inside cover of the notebook were a set of coordinates. They brought the container back to the station for further review.

A group of officers rushed to given coordinates. At the location they found a wall with a blue rock. Behind the rock was a container that held a blank notebook and puzzle of some sort. It took them 45 minutes to open the puzzle container. Inside, under a sticker, was a single digit number.

Back at the station the police had the puzzle from the well solved in under an hour. It revealed a set of coordinates . They hurried to that location but found nothing.

They brought the information gathered so far to Michelle's parents. Her mother was shocked by what they found . She was familiar with the suspect. He and Michelle had dated. She never liked him and was pleased when Michelle dumped him.

It wasn't much information but it was a start. At least they knew who they were dealing with.

The next day a second letter arrived at the news station.

I replaced the container in the well exactly where it was found. However, I changed the container style. It is now a lock and lock with a piece of metal glued inside. I also hid a rope and magnet. With your back to the shack look in to the woods. At approximately 2 o'clock and sixty five feet away is a tree with a hole in the base. There you will find the rope and magnets . You will not need to cross the fence. Please use stealth when getting and replacing the container.

You can log this find under Cry Uncle ! ; Well Well Well .

I replaced the puzzle box container and blue rock in the exact location it was found.

You can log this find under Cry Uncle ! ; Puzzled ? 1 after you learn how to solve the puzzle.

* Note * - We found that when you throw the rope with magnets into the well they bounce off the container. I placed some long sticks near the well. Tie the rope to a stick to fish out the container. Please tie the rope properly so we don't lose the magnets.

LETTER TWO

The police knew exactly what lake this Cashew was speaking of. They had a crew out searching all day. I was told that they found it late in the day. One of the guys banged his foot on a cinder block. There was a chain wrapped around it with a clip. He undid the clip and up floated a thermos. Inside the thermos was a new puzzle and notebook. That notebook also had a set of coordinates inside its cover.

The same group of officers went to the coordinates location. Again they found a wall with a blue rock. Behind the blue rock was a container with a puzzle box. Inside the puzzle box was a single digit number.

The container from the Lake was brought back to the station and the puzzle was solved. It revealed a second set of coordinates. The police rushed to the area and again found nothing.

All they could do was sit and wait. Two days later a third letter arrived at the news station.

I was told that if I follow the trail to the left of the playground I could find the same spot easily. The cinder block and thermos were approximately sixty feet from the dock, less than hip deep.

I replaced the container, puzzle and notebook exactly where found. Look for the bare spot to the left of the dock. Around there you will see a large white birch with three night tacks in it. I entered the water there. About five feet to the left of the birch ( if facing the water ) is a bunch of trees hanging over the water. You will see night tacks in those trees. Line yourself up there to find the cache. I was approximately waist deep. Also, hold on to the container. Don't trust that it will " float up". For obvious reasons, Please bring the container to shore before opening. When finished place the cinder block on top of the container to keep it from floating freely.

You can log this find under Cry Uncle ! ; Take a Swim

* Note * - I attached three containers to the chain. One holds rocks for weight. One is a container holding the notebook and puzzle. The other is a micro with coordinates in it. The coords lead to the same puzzle box. I added this micro in case the other container gets wet.

I replaced the puzzle box container and blue rock in the exact location it was found.

You can log this find under Cry Uncle ! ; Puzzled ? 2 after you learn how to open the box.

LETTER THREE

The police had this clue figured out very quickly. Some of the officers had been there before. They arrived at the scene and within five minutes the container was retrieved. Inside the container was another puzzle and notebook with coordinates in the front cover.

The group of officers that went to the set of coordinates encountered the same situation. A wall, blue rock, container and puzzle box. Inside the puzzle box was another single digit number.

It took only a few minutes to solve the puzzle from the tree. The coordinates led police to a residential area. They weren't surprised to find nothing.

The police had nothing further to go on. No more letters arrived at the station. It was days later when someone figured out where to search next.

The third container was not a hard find. I was told that a large river flows through the suspects home town. Along side that river is a street with a girls name that overflows yearly. At the end of that street is a patch of woods that bares the same girls name. Less than seventy feet onto the trail is the beaver dam. I was told that there is only one large tree, on the left hand side, before the beaver dam.

I replaced the container exactly as it was found. Please be careful.

You can log this find under Cry Uncle ! ; Was He High ?

I understand that not everyone can climb the tree. After there has been a FTF I will allow for this stage to be bypassed. You will need to email me the answer to the question in The Scene and where you believe this stage to be located. If you have the correct answer I will give you coords for a container holding this puzzle piece.

I replaced the puzzle box container and blue rock in the exact location it was found. You can log this find under Cry Uncle ! ; Puzzled ? 3 after you learn how to open the box.

THE SCENE

It was mid afternoon a few days later when a rookie detective solved the mystery. Four cars arrived at the scene with sirens blaring. Hopes were high that Michelle could still be found alive. No one was expecting to see what they did.

I spoke with a detective that was on the scene. Here is what I learned.

At the time the area was well wooded. There was a long dirt road with only a few houses on it. After the end house the road went in to the woods for another mile or so. An elderly woman lived in the end house. She reported seeing a car drive down that road at least five days before. She was getting ready to take her daily ride in to town and saw a car drive past her home. She recalled that the driver waved and smiled as he drove past her.

The detective I spoke with remembered that it was a very hot and humid day. As he drove up to the car a hazy steam was coming from the ground. The drivers side door was pulled up within an inch of a large tree. The car was an older model and quite beat up. He could see a hose leading from the exhaust pipe to the rear window. Lots of masking tape was used to cover the cracks, and all the other windows had masking tape around the edges. He joked about the rookie cops having a hard time dealing with the smell inside the vehicle. He informed them that he was no rookie and that he could make their skin crawl with some of the smells that had gone past his nose.

What he did was open the passenger door and the back door wide for a little draft. The body was in the drivers seat. It was a male in his late forties. A close look determined it was their guy. The car was loaded with litter. Coffee cups and fast food bags were scattered all over the floor. Next to the body was a bunch of cassettes, all jazz. He now laughed at the irony of song that was playing on the radio. It was The Devil Went Down To Georgia. He took the required photos and even did a few poses with the rookie cops.

They had thought this guy was too crafty to kill himself but it was all there ; the hose , the masking tape, ignition on, gas gauge showing empty, and of course , the note. They figured he must have sent his last letter to the station, driven up there, parked, rigged up the car for monoxide and just let the motor run. Why he planned it this way was anyones guess.

The note - Sitting on the mans lap was an envelope. Inside was a letter written in magic marker. On one side it read HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS with a picture of a house under it. On the back was a hand written note. It read ; I didn't want it to end this way . I had always thought that all lines were equal. I hadn't realized that this was a one sided relationship. I had such high hopes for us too. We would build a home somewhere in the woods. We'd sit on the roof facing North and wonder where the trail of stars would lead us. Now, if you don't draw the right conclusions soon, she'll know.

The police were very discouraged. With the witness report, date of the last letter to the news station and the smell that came from the vehicle the police believed that the car had been there for at least five days. Hope of finding Michelle alive had diminished. With nothing left to go on the police soon gave up their search. A few months later the case was put in to cold files.

Something about this scene did not seem right to me. I'm confused as to why the police gave up hope. He was definitely dead less than two days. Not the five days the police originally suspected. What led me to this conclusion ?

I will only offer hints to the cachers who include the answer to this question in their email..

* Note * - The Scene was cleaned up. There was nothing left behind. There's no need to visit. This is now private property.

FINAL WORDS

The original detectives did some nice work on this case. However, I feel that they may have overlooked something. I believe this case can be solved.

Here's how I see things happened:

After the suspect kidnapped Michelle he sent three letters to the news station. Each letter revealed clues leading to a location. At each location a physical task was to be performed to retrieve a container. Inside each container was a puzzle and notebook with a set of coordinates inside the front cover. The puzzles in the containers led police to three different areas. The coordinates inside the cover of the notebooks led to three different puzzle boxes. Each puzzle box held a single digit number. With all of this information the police were able to locate the suspects car. Unfortunately , he had committed suicide before they could locate Michelle.

There were two pieces of information found through out their chase that were not used. First, were the single digit numbers located in the puzzle boxes. Police believed those were to unlock the chains that may bind Michelle. Second, on all the boxes were upside down crosses. It was believed that something like this may be at the actual location near Michelle. Maybe it's a marker of some sort.

I really do believe that this case can be solved. I'm hoping that if we work together we'll be able to bring some peace to this family. Thanks to all who help.

* Note * There's a slight bushwhack to the final. You'll be searching for an ammo can. It is between two rocks and there are lots of leaves over it. Please cover it properly when done.

GOOD LUCK!